Pro Publica: How Nonprofits Spend Millions on Elections and Call it Public Welfare

Billionaire David Koch, chairman of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity

An investigation by Pro Publica reveals how U.S. political organizations pose as “social welfare non-profits” to engage in dubious campaign-finance activities. Not only do they adopt the ruse of promoting “charity” as a tax-exempt cover for blatant fundraising, they are not obliged to identify the sources of the money they are channeling to politicians. Much like Super-PACs and LLCs, they thereby offer yet another avenue for plutocrats and criminals alike to try and influence U.S. politics. Nor are social-welfare non-profits small fry; with over $70m in donations in the current election cycle, they are emerging as “the primary conduit for anonymous big-money contributions,” Pro Publica writes.